American Scottie Scheffler turns in a remarkable 9-under final round to win Olympic golf gold
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — Scottie Scheffler produced a remarkable final round to clinch gold in the men’s golf competition at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
The world No. 1 carded a nine-under 62 in Sunday’s fourth round to finish on 19-under-par over the four days at Le Golf National as he showed why he’s the best player in golf at the moment.
Scheffler finished his final round level with Tommy Fleetwood, but a bogey on the 17th hole for the British golfer dropped him down to 17-under. Fleetwood then carded a par on the final hole, allowing Scheffler to clinch the victory and giving the Brit the silver.
“I’m feeling pretty good. I’m proud to be going home with a medal and it was a long week, I’m pretty tired at the moment, but it was a lot of fun being out here competing,” the 28-year-old said afterwards.
The gold medal adds to the extraordinarily successful year Scheffler is having; the American has picked up six wins on the PGA Tour, including the Masters at Augusta in April.
When asked where the gold medal ranks on his list of achievements, Scheffler said: “It’s pretty high up there. It’s tough to compare accomplishments, but an Olympic gold medal is definitely going to be one of my special memories when I look back on my career.”
It’s been an extraordinary year off the course, too: Scheffler warmed up in a jail cell before competing in the PGA Championship in Kentucky a few months ago. His charges, stemming from a strange encounter at a police roadblock outside the tournament, were ultimately dismissed. Scheffler also recently became a father, adding a private wrinkle to his year in the spotlight.
Hideki Matsuyama, after losing in a seven-man playoff for bronze in his home country of Japan three years ago, claimed bronze this time out.
Heading into Sunday’s final round, Scheffler was on the peripheries of the contenders for the Olympic title but definitely not among the favorites.
He sat well off the lead and, when Spain’s Jon Rahm started the fourth round strongly, his chances looked even slimmer despite beginning with three birdies.
But a superb back-nine comprised of six birdies and, crucially, no bogeys vaulted him up the leaderboard and, when he finished his round, he was atop the standings tied with Fleetwood.
“I got off to a good start. I holed a nice putt there at one, chipped in on two and had two good shots into three and it kind of got me going there early in the round. And I had a little bit of a cold spell on four through nine, but I bounced back with a nice putt on 10 and did some really good things on the back nine today to finish this one off,” Scheffler said.
“I just did my best to stay patient. It was frustrating hitting some good putts on the front nine and not seeing any of them go in. I was just trying to move up the leaderboard, do anything I could. The guys in front of me were playing really well and I knew I was going to have to do something special and was fortunate to make some birdies.”
While he waited for Fleetwood to finish his round, Scheffler traveled to the range to keep loose in case the British golfer managed to end with a birdie and send it to a playoff for the gold medal.
But a long second shot from Fleetwood on the last hole meant he needed a miracle long putt to get a birdie. His effort went close to the hole but drifted just wide, sealing Scheffler’s gold.
TV cameras showed the American being told he’d won gold, sharing an embrace with his caddie Ted Scott as their remarkable season continued.
With the win, he became the first ever world No. 1 at the time of the Games to win a gold medal, according to Yahoo Sports.
And according to golf statistician Justin Ray, it is the first time American golfers have won all the majors in a year since 1982, adding to the historical precedent of Scheffler’s achievement.
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